Message
Breakfast with Jesus!
John 21:1-14
Good Morning to all of God’s People from the Voices Of Hope Evangelistic Team! It’s such a blessing to be able to worship with you today wherever you are! I thank God for the opportunity to serve Him and to share His message with the world through today’s technology!
Our Message today is titled “Breakfast with Jesus!” Our scripture comes from the New Testament Book of John, Chapter 21, verses 1 through 14 and you can be turning there in your Bibles.
One of my favorite memories growing up is supper-time. I was blessed to have my grandmother and uncles living on the same street as my parents. While we kids were at school and the adults were working, Mom would be cooking some delicious dishes. After arriving at our homes, it was time to gather at our house and eat. Mom, Dad, Granny, two uncles, and we three kids would gather for the blessing, fill our plates and then begin sharing our day. Oh, what great times those were!
And as wonderful as those experiences were, can you imagine being invited to share a breakfast with Jesus that He has cooked? Well, in today’s scripture, seven disciples got to do just that. The last supper wasn’t the last meal some of the disciples had with Jesus.
Before we read our scripture, let’s look at the message from Jesus that the angel gave for the disciples in Mark Chapter 16 verses 6 and 7: “but the angel said, ‘Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. 7 Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.’”
In John, Chapter 21, it may be that the disciples were in Galilee because that’s where Jesus told them several times, He would appear to them.
So let’s review the last chapters of John. Jesus has risen; He’s appeared to Mary and to the others in the upper room that Easter Day. A week later He appears again to the disciples, this time when Thomas is present so that he can see for himself that Jesus is alive – Thomas makes that wonderful affirmation of faith: ‘My Lord and my God!’
And then comes chapter 21. In these first fourteen verses that we are considering, it’s not Jesus from Nazareth who is the central character, but rather Jesus, the Lord – the Risen and Glorified One.
He’s not the ‘Good Friday Jesus’, He’s the ‘Easter Jesus.’
He’s the Jesus we know, the one who encountered Saul on the road to Damascus, who encountered you and me somewhere along our life journey; who has encountered every blessed believer who has not seen Him, yet puts their faith in Him.
Now reading from John, Chapter 21, verses 1 through 14 from the New Living Translation:
1 Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. 2 Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples. 3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night. 4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. 5 He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied. 6 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it. 7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. 8 The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. 9 When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread. 10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn. 12 “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.
Let’s pray:
Father, just as Jesus called the fishermen, tax collectors, and other commoners to be “fishers of men,” You also call and equip us to reach the lost men and women of our day. Help us to not be afraid to go wherever the fish are. Let us not be afraid to get our hands dirty. May our hearts be filled with compassion and our spirits charged with faith as we prayerfully seek to make a difference in our own generation. It is not by our own might, our talents, or our power, but it is by Your Spirit that we can effectively reach the lost. Help us to be faithful in doing so. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Jesus’ appearance is always timely. It’s always according to His perfect plan, and many times it doesn’t fit ours. This appearing is the third time that Jesus appeared to His disciples in the body, and so by this testimony we are convinced of His Bodily Resurrection.
In today’s scriptures, we read about a failed working day in the life of some of the Disciples. As we look at the story, we can learn the following precious truths from this passage.
1) The Human Efforts of the Disciples had failed (verses 1 through 3).
Motivated by Peter, seven of the Disciples, had gone fishing that night. They set out in the darkness, now doing what they were doing when they first met Jesus – fishing. They were fishing in the dark because they believed that this was the best time to catch fish. This was their trade and they had years of experience behind them.
In the Wiersbe Study Bible, Warren W. Wiersbe explains: “Now we can understand why Jesus had so many fishermen in the disciple band. Fishermen know how to work. They have courage and faith to go out into deep waters. They have much patience and persistence, and they will not quit. They know how to cooperate with one another and they are skilled in using the equipment and the boat. What examples for us to follow as we seek to ‘catch fish’ for Jesus Christ.“
But this time, the disciples caught nothing. Can we imagine the disappointment and discouragement they were going through?
If Peter and his friends were living in today's world, they would have most probably called their wives on their cell phones to express their disappointment. Maybe they would have sent a text as follows;
'Sorry Honey, no fish today. Not sure how I'm going to feed you all for the next few days'.
'I was depending on today's catch to pay off our credit card and utility bills. Not sure what we can do now'.
Which brings us to the next point of these scriptures.
2. The disciples obeyed Jesus’ instructions and experienced a Fishing Miracle (verses 4 through 6). Jesus appears on the scene when the disciples give up trying to catch fish. When they return to shore, Jesus asks them "Friends, haven't you any fish?" As if He didn't already know! They answered Him, “no.”
At first, Jesus' instructions to “throw your net on the right side of the boat", may have sounded absurd to the disciples. They were the experienced fishermen, not Jesus. They knew the waters better than Him. They knew that the fish were not biting that night. Hadn't they toiled all night in vain? Yet, they obeyed what was an amazing prophetic word from the Lord…"You will find some (fish)".
Obeying Jesus, their failure turned into success. They were fishing in the same waters, but the presence of Jesus made all the difference. They caught more fish than they could have imagined. Exactly 153 large fish filled the net and the net didn’t tear! Not one fish was lost that should have been caught.
If we are struggling because of some challenge or struggling with some sin, would we be willing to obey the instructions Jesus is waiting to give us? He says, "Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). There are many voices in the world trying to give people guidance today but only the words of Jesus can give true life and purpose! He is waiting to give us the guidance we need and it’s available in God’s Word.
3. Jesus invited them for breakfast.
John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, is quick to recognize Jesus and exclaims profoundly: “It is the Lord.” His exclamation, “IT IS THE LORD,” again affirms the deity of Jesus Christ, who died, was buried and arose to provide salvation for us.
Peter jumps into the water and quickly swims to shore, as the other disciples are dragging the fish and boat in. His zeal shouldn’t be disregarded here but rather commended. He had a strong affection for our Lord, and so must all who would quit the world in order to obey the command of Jesus to follow Him. To come to Jesus is to revere Jesus as Lord and to obey Him as Lord!
John tells us that there was fish cooking on the coals of an open fire on the shore of the sea, and also some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you caught and we’ll put some of them on the fire.” Peter went up and dragged the net to land. He reveres Jesus in His obedience.
Jesus wants us to become fishers of men and women and not just fish for fish but for others who need to know Jesus’ love and truth. How do we become fishers of men and women, boys and girls?
Go tell other people about Jesus.
Share what Jesus has done for you.
Pray for others.
Help others in need.
Follow Jesus faithfully.
In today's world too, Jesus invites everyone to fellowship with Him. He says, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20). Will you accept His invitation?
Jesus invites us to fellowship with Him because He's a loving, forgiving Savior, full of grace. We can bring our broken dreams, hurts and failures to Him today.
John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The new law that Jesus enacted, through death on the cross and resurrection three days later, makes victory possible for everyone. But some have been unwilling to take the steps that are necessary in order for that victory to be a reality in their life. They have never accepted the gift of salvation that Jesus offers to all. They have never surrendered their will to His so that they can live in constant obedience to Him. Today could be their victory day. Today could be the day of their celebration.
In Romans 10:9, we are told that “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Do you need to accept the invitation that Jesus is extending? Are you ready to receive the amazing guidance, miracle and fellowship He wants to provide?
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, invite Him into your life right now. Accept His free gift of salvation today.
Or maybe you have known God but walked away from His call on your life to do your own thing or have been wounded and are now angry with Him or feel like you can’t come back to Him because of the depth of your sin. When we turn back to Jesus in repentance, when we ask for forgiveness, intending to live a godly life again, God’s mercy reaches out to us with a message of love. God is a God of mercy, of redemption, of restoration and of renewal. Just come by faith to the throne of grace to receive it. He is waiting for you with open arms. Repent all over again and get back to fulfilling God’s plan in and through your life.
I’ll close with this story.
A fine lad entered the Army. He faced a real test the first night he went to bed in the barracks. He had formed the commendable habit of placing his Bible on his bed at home, and kneeling down to read a chapter while having his daily prayer time before retiring. Surrounded by scores of rough men in the one great company room, many of them cursing and jesting loudly, he thought it might be wiser to go to bed and then read his Bible where nobody would notice it. But he told himself, “I am a Christian, and I ought to give these fellows a testimony. I’ll do just as I did at home!” So, the courageous youngster undressed, got into his sleeping garments, and spread his Bible on his cot. He kneeled down and started to read, and in two minutes the barracks got as quiet as a church. He felt like a goldfish in a glass bowl. After a while the talk began again, and nothing was said about his odd behavior. But the next night when he again opened his Bible and knelt to read, eight other boys dug out their Bibles and did the same. Within a month every man in that outfit would have fought for that boy. They brought their troubles and their questions to him to be settled, and he influenced more men for Christ in that one barracks than half a dozen chaplains could have moved in a year of Sundays. (From Miracles at Morning Cheer, by Harry Rimmer)
Jesus spent a number of years training His disciples for ministry. When we are equipped, He will encourage us to fulfill our destiny. Success in ministry is dependent on our love for Jesus. If we do not love Him, we cannot impact others.
During the coming week may we all take time to draw closer to Jesus, may we spend time studying God’s Word and may we spend time in prayer with God. May we use the gifts God has given us to serve and honor Him and find ways to share Jesus with our brothers and sisters through our words and deeds.
May God bless you abundantly beyond your expectations. In Jesus’ name, Amen